Very clear
"What I am announcing this morning is a very, very clear message to the people of Australia: that until this matter [criminal charges over alleged misuse of parliamentary perks] is cleared up, we are not going to accept Senator Colston's vote." — Prime Menzies John Howard in April 1997, when he thought he didn't need Colston's vote.
Very often
"... party leaders often change positions and tactics after an election." — Sydney Morning Herald editorial, defending Howard's change on Colston.
More to come
"I've done way more stupid things on alcohol than I ever did on pot." — Jesse Ventura, as candidate for governor of the US state of Minnesota, on his proposal to legalise marijuana. Since winning the election as the candidate of Ross Perot's Reform Party, Ventura has backtracked on the pledge.
Wonder why
"There's little doubt the banks have an image problem at the moment." — John McFarlane, chief executive of ANZ, reporting a record profit of $1.1 billion.
Or other things
"If we are profitable, we can support charities as well." — Commonwealth Bank head David Murray, on John Howard's call for business to take responsibility for social welfare.
Still have employees
"Our costs measured against world's best practices are still too high." — David Hoare, chairperson of Telstra, which has cut 20,000 jobs in two years and is expected to report profits of $3.5 billion this year.